


Wrapped Up for Christmas

by blakefancier



Series: Young Lovers [51]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-14
Updated: 2015-05-14
Packaged: 2018-03-30 11:11:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,670
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3934636
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blakefancier/pseuds/blakefancier
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>An old enemy reappears but despite that, Howard has a wonderful life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wrapped Up for Christmas

**Author's Note:**

> Oh look, it's done!

Howard woke up in the ambulance, he remembered that much, but the memory was a blur of pain and confusion and unfamiliar faces. When he woke a second time, he felt fuzzy in a way that told him he was on some pretty serious pain medication. He looked around the hospital room, trying to figure out what had happened when he remembered the party. Howard drew in a quick breath and wondered how much damage he'd do if he tried sitting up.

"I wouldn't if I were you," Nick said and Howard flicked his gaze towards the sound of his voice. "You're in the hospital. Both Steve and Peggy are fine."

Howard licked his dry lips and worked his mouth, after a moment, he managed to get a few words out. "H-How bad?"

"Steve injured his leg, but it's healing pretty damn quickly. Peggy needed minor surgery, but according to the doctors she'll be 100% in a few months." Nick smiled. "The cops want to talk to you, but your friend Stane ran interference, promised that as soon as you were able, you'd get in touch."

He let out a soft exhale, imaging how that conversation went. Then he closed his eyes for a moment. When he snapped them open again, Nick was on the other side of the room, talking softly to someone. Howard must have made some sort of sound, because both turned to him.

"You're awake. You've been out for about a half hour." Nick tilted his head. "You tracking okay?"

Howard snorted and tried to shake his head, but his neck wasn't quite working properly. "Good drugs. Morphine? Love morphine." 

"Yeah, I know." Nick walked over to the bed and sighed. "Do you remember what happened last night, Howard?"

He tried thinking about it, but it was like trying to climb up a mountain of sheer ice—his thoughts kept slipping away. "Nu uh."

"They found the car that ran you off the road, Howard. The driver was dead." Nick paused. "Someone shot him between the eyes."

Howard really tried wrapping his brain around that piece of information, but he just couldn't.

Nick sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Close your eyes and get some sleep. We'll talk later when you're not higher than a kite." 

That sounded like a great idea. 

***** 

The next 24 hours were a blur, but Howard remembered, vaguely, asking for Steve, and then talking to Steve. 

Morphine really was wonderful.

***** 

At some point they'd weaned him off the good drugs and when he opened his eyes, his brain felt clearer but the pain was much more intense. It was nothing he couldn't handle, though, so he didn't complain. 

"You're awake," Tony said, straightening out from where he was curled up in a chair. He poured a glass of water, stuck a straw in it, and brought it to Howard's mouth. "How do you feel?"

The water felt wonderful and Howard managed about half of the glass before he spoke. "Like shit. How long have you been here?" 

"Since they admitted you. Obi gave Mom and me a ride. He didn't stay long though, he said he needed to do damage control." Tony touched his arm. 

Thank god for Obi—no doubt their stock took a nosedive after the accident hit the news. "Fuck, what a mess."

"At least everyone's okay," Tony said softly; his hand was still on Howard's arm. He looked so horribly young and Howard reminded himself that was because he was horribly young. 

"Yeah, everyone's okay." Except for the asshole who tried running them off the road. Howard smiled up at Tony. "I hope your mom was able to reschedule your flight." 

"I'm sure Mom will figure something out." Tony worried at his bottom lip, then said, in a trembling voice, "Dad, I…"

"Hey, I'm all right. Tony. I'm all right." He felt like someone attacked him with a meat tenderizer, but he was breathing. "Maybe you should go home and get some rest, kid. Have Jarvis feed you. Where's your mom?"

"Talking with Sarah, I think. She's pretty upset." 

Howard knew Tony hadn't meant Maria. "Well, I'd be pretty upset, too. Why don't you take your mom with you, huh? She could probably use a break."

"Okay," Tony said reluctantly. "I'll be by later."

He nodded thoughtfully; he'd have to talk to Obadiah later, make sure that Tony had the best security team following him. 

When Tony left, Howard looked over at the phone. He wondered how much pain he'd be in if he moved to grab it. Maybe if he went slowly, it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe—

"I wouldn’t if I were you," Sarah said, walking into the room and closing the door.

Howard's heart sank and he tensed, which was a very bad idea. His ribs and shoulder throbbed painfully. "There are calls I need to make," he said, once the pain ebbed to a dull roar.

Sarah only response was to stare at him. She looked awful; rumpled and pale, her eyes red. She looked like she hadn't slept since getting the news about the accident; she probably hadn't.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I'm so sorry."

"When I got the phone call, I th-thought…" She stopped and took a deep breath. "You were supposed to take care of him."

"I know. Sarah—"

"You were drunk!" Sarah took a step towards him, her hands clenched. 

"I wasn't driving," he said, as if that were an excuse.

She laughed at that and Howard looked away in shame. "I don't care what you do when Steve isn't around. Drink until your liver gives up, do every drug known to man; I don't care. But I told you back when this first started, when you are with my son, you don't drink! You were responsible for his safety, Howard. You…" Sarah covered her mouth and visibly struggled to contain her tears. "He almost died because someone wanted to get to you and you were drunk off your ass."

Howard closed his eyes and swallowed hard; he knew he'd screwed up.

"Steve will never be hurt again because of you." Sarah rested her hand on his injured shoulder. She didn't press down on it, but it hurt anyway.

"Never," he whispered. 

"Good." Sarah took a deep breath. "I'll let the nurses know you're awake."

Howard opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

***** 

"What do you remember about the accident?" Nick asked, perched on the bed.

Howard shook his head and sighed. "Nothing. I was drunk. I'm pretty sure that I was asleep as soon as we hit the road." He may have woken up during the accident, he must have, but that whole night was a blur.

"What about before? Do you remember anyone following you? Any suspicious characters?"

"No." 

Nick sighed and rubbed his chin. "I'm going to put my own security on your family and Steve's."

"Steve's?" Howard frowned. "Why they hell does Steve need extra security?" Nick didn't immediately respond and that made Howard nervous. "What is it, Nick? What's going on? And don't tell me it's nothing." 

"We looked into the background of the guy who tried running you off the road. And you may not have been the primary target." 

"I… Peggy?" No, no, that wasn't right. If it had been Peggy, then Steve wouldn't need the security. "Steve's a seventeen year old kid from Brooklyn, Nick. The only enemies he has are a bunch of homophobic bullies from his school." 

"The man's name was John Garret. No doubt you remember his brother Joseph."

Howard's breath caught and his shook his head. "Schmidt is dead and HYDRA with him." 

Nick raised his eyebrow and gave Howard a look. "We never found Schmidt's body, nor all of his followers." 

"What would HYDRA want with Steve?" he asked, though he knew. He knew exactly what they wanted with Steve. "He's just a kid."

"So was Schmidt when we first met him; only eighteen and already megalomaniac." Nick rose to his feet. "Now that we know it's him, we'll catch him. In the meantime, I'll have agents on your family and Steve's."

"Did you tell Sarah?" Howard asked.

"No. I figured this was best left under wraps." Nick tilted his head. "You disagree?"

"No. No, I don't disagree." Let her think it was his fault. She deserved a good Christmas. "So what are you doing for the holidays?"

"What I usually do," Nick said cryptically, as if Howard hadn't spent a Christmas or two at his sister's place. "And you?"

"It's just gonna be me and my nurse." That sounded pathetic, but to be honest, Howard could use some quiet time. 

"Some people have all the luck." Nick patted his leg. "I'll be in touch. Merry Christmas, Howard."

"Merry Christmas," Howard replied.

***** 

It would have been easier to take one of the bedrooms downstairs until he'd healed enough, but he was in pain and after his short hospital stay, he wanted his own damn room. With the assistance of the nurse, and Obi, he settled into his bed with a happy sigh.

"You're an ass," Obi said, sitting on the bed and stretching his legs. 

Howard gave him a smug grin. Karen, the nurse, propped pillows behind his back to make him more comfortable; he thanked her and asked if she'd check on lunch.

Obi eyed her appreciatively. "Nice." 

"She's married."

"What does that have to do with me?" Obi said with a chuckle and Howard rolled his eyes. 

"Just don't, okay. She's one of Sarah's friends and I'm in enough hot water on that front." 

Obi smacked him on his leg. "That's what you get for screwing someone who still needs his diaper changed."

"Oh, ha, ha. Very funny." Howard shifted slightly, trying to find a good position that eased the pain off his shoulder and ribs. Maybe he'd ask for a pain pill when Karen came back. "So when are you headed down to Atlantic City?" 

"As soon as I leave here. I'd invite you along, but…" Obi gestured to him. 

"Yeah, I wouldn't have gone anyway." If HYDRA really was out there, it was probably best if he stayed close to home. "With Tony and Steve gone, it'll be quiet. I'll be able to catch up on my work."

"You're getting boring, Stark." 

"Yeah, well, we're getting old," Howard said, leaned his head back against the pillows. 

Obi chuckled. "Speak for yourself."

"Thanks for the ride home, Obi." He smiled and sighed; he was starting to feel tired. "You have a nice Christmas."

"What are friends for?" Obi patted Howard's leg, and then rose to his feet. "Merry Christmas."

***** 

The nice thing about Tony spending the holidays with his mother was that Howard could sleep in on Christmas morning. Of course, his ribs and shoulder had other plans for him; he slept badly the night before and woke up about five to a dark, cold room. He allowed himself a moment to be miserable and lonely, then took the pain meds that Karen had laid out for him before she went to bed. 

He was waiting for them to kick in when the door slowly creaked open. "Karen?"

"Nope," Tony said, pushing the door open and turning on the lights. "Merry Christmas, Dad." 

"Tony?" He winced at the brightness and slowly, painfully, sat up. Tony rushed over and helped him out, propping pillows behind his back.

"Not just Tony." Maria walked into the room, a big grin on her face and a tray of food in her hands. "Merry Christmas!"

"What are you two doing here? You're supposed to be in L.A.!" Despite the surprise, he found himself smiling.

"And leave you alone on Christmas? Dad, c'mon." Tony climbed into bed and grabbed the remote off the nightstand.

"Exactly." Maria carefully set the tray on his lap, then climbed into bed on the other side of Howard. 

Howard narrowed his eyes. "Steve asked you to stay, didn't he?"

Maria smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "I was thinking about doing it anyway. No one should be alone on Christmas, Howard. Anyway, Tony and I are flying out tomorrow and we'll stay at my sister's for an extra few days. Now dig in. After you've had breakfast we're opening presents."

"We are?" He looked at her, amused.

"Yes. And after presents, we'll watch some Christmas movies, then I'll put the roast in the oven for dinner." She grinned at him. "Don't worry, Jarvis did all the hard work."

Tony leaned back on the headboard "So is your small heart growing three sizes, Dad?" 

Howard laughed, feeling strangely happy. "Yeah, Tony. My heart is practically bursting." 

***** 

It was good day. After Howard ate breakfast, they opened their presents, watched a bunch of Christmas specials, and had dinner ridiculously early. Then Maria and Tony climbed back into bed with him to watch more TV.

"Oh, hey," Tony said. " _It's a Wonderful Life_! Steve loves this movie." 

Halfway through the film, both Maria and Tony fell asleep and Howard was thinking about changing the channel when his phone started to buzz. He checked the screen and answered the phone with a smile. "I have a confession to make," he said by way of greeting, "I'm in bed with my ex-wife." 

Steve laughed softly. "Yeah, well, don't do anything that'll wake up Tony."

"Merry Christmas, you jerk." Howard shifted slightly. "You didn't think to give me a heads up?"

"Merry Christmas, I love you, too. And I didn't tell you, because I wanted it to be a surprise." 

"Well, I was very surprised." Howard smiled. "So how's Philadelphia?"

There was a long pause, and then Steve said, "It's okay. We went to Midnight Mass last night and that was nice." 

"Wow, try to contain your excitement." There was something going on, but he knew if he waited long enough, Steve would tell him. 

"My aunt keeps asking me when I'm going to find myself a girlfriend. And when she's not asking, she's trying to set me up with some of the girls in the neighborhood. I've told her a dozen times that I'm gay, but she thinks it's a phase. And the house is full of relatives I've never met before and… and I'm sitting in a closet in my aunt's room just so I can talk to you." Then Steve said, almost too quiet for Howard to hear, "And I miss you. I miss you so much."

"I miss you, too. I miss you so much, babe. But just hold on for a few more days, okay." Howard closed his eyes. "I know it's a shitty situation, but think of it as an extra Christmas present for your mom."

"Yeah." Steve went quiet again. "I should go. We're having dinner soon and they'll probably want me to wrangle the kids. I love you and miss you. Have a good Christmas, okay?"

"I will and I love you, too." Howard stared at the phone for a few moments after Steve hung up, wondering if he should call back later, when Maria shifted. 

"That was very sweet," she said. 

Howard set his cell on the bed. "He's having a miserable time." 

"Steve will survive." Maria looked over at Tony. "He was up earlier than I was. But then, he always did love Christmas."

"He got that from you." Howard reached over and stroked Tony's hair. "We didn’t do so bad, you and I." 

"No, no, we did pretty good." There was a serious expression on her face, despite her words. "He was so worried about you, Howard. I've never seen him so scared. He's such a smart kid that sometimes I forget he's still just a boy. You scared me, too." 

"I've tripled security. Whoever did this won't get a second chance." He hoped. "I promise." 

"Okay." Maria touched his cheek. "Are you hungry? You want a roast beef sandwich?"

Howard nodded and beside them, Tony mumbled a 'me, too.'


End file.
